Demanding for the pay, job security depends on customer notes, management sucks. - Sales Associate Women's Department Nordstrom Employee Review

4.0
9 Jan 2010
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

I worked a seasonal position in the Women's Department at Nordstrom Rack in San Diego, I was paid $10/hr and at first was getting around 35 hours a week but then got cut down to 25 hours a week. Decent benefits for seasonal positions so I'm assuming they're pretty fair for regular positions. Somewhat flexible dress code. A nice amount of cool workers, the other half will sell you down the river in an instant to get ahead. You get paid by the hour not on commission from sales. Fast paced (goes both ways as a pro or con) so time flys by. 20% employee discount. Great return policies. For shyer people like me, Nordstrom rack isn't as into one on one customer service as the full line stores. House Parties-where a specific store will have a higher discount for employees. The discount is usually for one day but some have lasted as long as three. Discounts sometimes are for the whole store and other times for certain departments. (last time they had a 48% discount on make-up at Fashion!) Seems like there's great potential to move up in the company, and they pay for schooling when they offer you certain positions that require schooling.

Cons

Holidays get beyond crazy busy. You deal with a lot of rude, whiney, stuck up, low-class customers. Be prepared to see a lot of dogs, sometimes they smell and use the store as a restroom. Be prepared with kids screaming and running around, and babies screaming their lungs out. And people who talk on those boost radio phones. You will be extremely tired, and sore after working here, and your feet will kill you. A lot of attempts of theft. If you're looking to be full time, you will rarely get 40 hours a week unless you are a manager. Lately a lot of the scream alarms kept going off-major head ache. Lots of running (literally), and constant cleaning and constant calls to the fitting room. Management doesn't tell you when there are sales or what items are on sale, they always change the time stores open and close, closing shifts usually work half an hour longer than they're supposed to, management decides but won't tell you when they're accepting holds or not. Managers pick their favorites, if you're not one they'll be very rude to you and blame you for everything wrong in your department (I used to get blamed for merchandise that was misplaced in pad 4 when I worked on pad 2). LOTS of drama with co-workers. Sometimes they try to work you so hard that even though it's your lunch or break they don't care they'll ask you to finish running your rack from the fitting room then when you don't take your lunch on time they get mad at you. Your job security (seasonal positions) depends on if customer write notes to the company about how wonderful you are. If a customer goes up to another employee and sings your praises you don't get recognition for it unless they write a note.

Explore other reviews about Nordstrom

5.0
28 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good commissions, good teamwork overall.

Cons

Lots of physical work, putting back the shoes is challenging. Sometimes my coworkers would be too competitive.

2.0
2 June 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Decent base pay, somewhat autonomous, great tip potential.

Cons

The company has changed for the worse since COVID. When I came back the mood of the entire store had shifted. Gone were the days of comradery, customer focus, and taking pride in a job well done. In its place there is a new culture of cutthroat sales, a severe decline in customer focus, and worst of all a new focus on profit over customer satisfaction. When I was told that the amount the store charged for a shoe shine was not enough to do the best job I could for a customer I knew things had gone downhill for the company. Not to mention I watch a manager prey on a mentally disabled person in order to secure a sale, when the person could not understand what was being offered. Sad that such a once great company is now just another greed ridden corporation.

2
See reviews by: Helpful|Rating|Date|All